Cavafy's Hellenistic Antiquities: History, Archaeology, Empire (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9783031349010)

This book reinterprets C. P. Cavafy's historical and archaeological poetics by correlating his work to major cultural, political and sexualized receptions of antiquity that marked the turn of the 20th century. Focusing on selected poems which stage readings of Hellenistic and late ancient texts and material objects, this study probes the poet's personal library and archive to trace his scholarly sources and scrutinize their contribution to his creative practice. A new understanding of Cavafy's historicism emerges by comparing his poetics to a broad array of discourses and intellectual pursuits of his time; these range from antiquarianism, physiognomy and Egyptomania to cultural appropriations of the classics which sought to legitimate British colonial rule as well as homoerotic desire. As this volume demonstrates, Cavafy embraced antiquarianism as an empathetic and passionate way of relating to the past and shaped it into a method that allowed his poetry to render modern meanings to Hellenistic antiquities.

Author: Takis Kayalis
ISBN-10: 3031349016
ISBN-13: 9783031349010
Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
Language: English
Published: 12/12/2023
Pages: 282
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.12lbs
Size: 8.27h x 5.83w x 0.69d